Individual Cognitive Preferences

We believe that most people show up to work wanting to be a productive and contributing member of their team. But sometimes, all the things that make us uniquely ourselves — how we think, communicate, and act on our decisions — get in the way of our personal productivity and the effectiveness of our team. We help team members understand their individual cognitive preferences

What do we mean by cognitive preferences? And how do they shape our behaviour and interactions?

A good example of cognitive preferences at work is signing something.

Our signature is unique to us -- it is the outcome of years of practice and use, and it is influenced by a number of both cognitive and behavioural variables.

Consider whether we are right-handed or left-handed. Neither of these is better than they other -- they are simply an outward expression of how we're "wired". From a brain perspective, people who are left handed are right-brain dominant, while right handers are left-brain dominant.

As an adult, when we sign something, we tend to do it on autopilot. We simply sign.

Now imagine I asked you to switch hands and sign with your non-dominant hand. How does that feel?

Most people say it feels awkward. It's extra work. And for most of us, it doesn't produce the outcome we think is "right".

And yet... you can sign your name with your non-dominant hand.

Preferences work in a very similar way. If I asked you to think about where your business will be in five years, some of you will sit back, peer up into the sky, and imagine. And some of you will begin the task of collecting data to analyze and project into the future. Neither of these approaches is more right than the other -- they will both get you to a picture of the future state -- but these two approaches are also good examples of preferences at work. One more "intuitive". One more "fact-based".

Both have their place. Both have upsides and downsides.

We can learn to appreciate and leverage these differences into a much more powerful whole. Just as we can learn to be aware of our own preferences, appreciate those of our team mates, and accommodate -- and celebrate! -- the differences.

— the basic elements of identity that impact how they show up as individuals and shape how they interact with the rest of the team.

What do we mean by cognitive preferences? And how do they shape our behaviour and interactions?

A good example of cognitive preferences at work is signing something.

Our signature is unique to us -- it is the outcome of years of practice and use, and it is influenced by a number of both cognitive and behavioural variables.

Consider whether we are right-handed or left-handed. Neither of these is better than they other -- they are simply an outward expression of how we're "wired". From a brain perspective, people who are left handed are right-brain dominant, while right handers are left-brain dominant.

As an adult, when we sign something, we tend to do it on autopilot. We simply sign.

Now imagine I asked you to switch hands and sign with your non-dominant hand. How does that feel?

Most people say it feels awkward. It's extra work. And for most of us, it doesn't produce the outcome we think is "right".

And yet... you can sign your name with your non-dominant hand.

Preferences work in a very similar way. If I asked you to think about where your business will be in five years, some of you will sit back, peer up into the sky, and imagine. And some of you will begin the task of collecting data to analyze and project into the future. Neither of these approaches is more right than the other -- they will both get you to a picture of the future state -- but these two approaches are also good examples of preferences at work. One more "intuitive". One more "fact-based".

Both have their place. Both have upsides and downsides.

We can learn to appreciate and leverage these differences into a much more powerful whole. Just as we can learn to be aware of our own preferences, appreciate those of our team mates, and accommodate -- and celebrate! -- the differences.

that influence how they communicate, frame business issues, gather information, make decisions, act on the decisions they make, and interact with their working environment.

The differences in preferences between team members can sometimes be a tremendous source of synergy and inspiration. We have all been on teams that are truly “firing on all cylinders”. When a team works well, getting things done seems effortless.

Sometimes though, individual preferences can hinder the formation of an effective team, and create unproductive conflict and irritation. The team flounders. Interactions are difficult, and productivity lags. Team leaders wonder “why can’t people just get along? Why do I always seem to be intervening to settle things down and get the team to focus on its work?”.

We believe that the best teams (we call them highly effective teams) do some things and behave in ways that are teachable and learnable. These activities and behaviours can be put into practice by everyone. Forming an effective team can be accelerated — if people on the team are aware of their own preferences, and how they interact with those of their team mates.

We have developed a Team Effectiveness ModelTM that identifies these activities and behaviours in a way that can benefit any group of people that aspire to become a highly effective team.

Acceptance and understanding of each team member’s individual preferences, strengths and opportunities for growth is critical to team effectiveness. Every effective team member can then go beyond personal awareness to add an appreciation for how teammates with different preferences direct their energies, gather information, process decisions and act on them.

Finally, effective teams master accommodation – the art of leveraging the diversity of each individual’s preferences and approaches to produce superior outcomes.